A History of Scotland brings material and information from previous shows such as About Robert the Bruce, About the Jacobites, About Tam O’Shanter, up to date in one overarching, laugh out loud history of our nation. The show will be in the prime location of The Stand in the Square in St Andrew’s Square Edinburgh each day at 5.40pm. This show sold out at the Perth Fringe in Western Australia and audiences loved it. I think you will love it too. I’ll even be giving away my own special tenners.

The basement of Waterstone’s is often my refuge. On the days where I feel brave enough for a weekend venture onto Princes Street, I’m often quickly reminded why I avoid it. As a mildly anxious introvert, I have strategically staked out restorative niches across the city to be called upon in a moment of personal crisis – this is one of them. If you find yourself in non-fiction, deep in the bookstore belly (which I truly believe, is in a dark basement for a reason) amongst the usual pocket guides to Rousseau and latest George Monbiot, I’ve noticed a newcomer. An interloper, multiplying like Tribbles every time I visit: Mindfulness books. Everywhere. The Little Book of Mindfulness. The Mindfulness Pocketbook. The Little Pocket Book of Mindfulness. In fact, no less than 117 titles on the subject in stock, right now. If you’ve yet to encounter this 21st century re-brand, it’s meditation for the masses.

In the olden days, the festival was so cheap you could go and see loads of stuff and if some of it turned out to be crap, it didn’t really matter. Now you need s spirit guide to see through the telephone directories of festival programming and cut to the good bits. To offset any returning weary fringe cynicism, we asked five folk for their top-tips on what to see at this years festival (s). The only criteria was: no comedy.

Bonnie Prince Bob and Norrie Harman (creators of Jim Murphy Saviour of the Union) are backing Inner City Arts, a project which uses film as a new approach to crime reduction by empowering youths through art. View their story and their appeal here.

The launch of Creative Scotland’s Scots language policy todayis long overdue and sorely needed. I’m sure there’ll be many who view such a policy with suspicion and disdain; no doubt we’ll hear such choice phrases such as “Scots is a dialect, not a language”, “Why are we promoting teuchter rubbish?”, “only neds speak like that” or the classic “no one speaks like that anymore”. But this is precisely why a Scots language policy is needed by Creative Scotland, the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and indeed all our publicly funded organisations across the country.

The two heroes at the centre of one of the most important battles in Scottish history were jointly honoured at the spot where they led an outnumbered Scottish army to victory against the English more than 700 years ago.

This weekend is one of my favourites on offer in our Small City. From Thursday through to Sunday, venues across the city centre come alive with the sound of the Southern Fried Festival. Or should I say, the award-winning sound of the Southern Fried Festival? Because last October, our home-grown weekend of blues, soul and country was officially recognised as Scotland’s Best Small Festival at The Scottish Events Awards. And no-one was more pleased than this month’s Big Personality, Andy Shearer.

I never thought I’d describe a rape-and-murder play as safe. I’d be lying if the very notion of such a careless thought didn’t provoke my feminist hackles. This is not a review in the traditional sense, just as the work is not a crime piece as you’d recognize it. There will be spoilers. There will be musings. I’ll tell you why I didn’t ‘like’ it (such a loose word for the arts) but that you should go anyway. Just as The Driver’s Seat is a whydunnit, this piece is a whyseeit. It’s often a far better catalyst than enjoyment, because it will yank critique from you in a way the simply good never can.

On Wednesday night, at a much-anticipated ceremony in Glasgow’s Barrowlands, the movers and shakers of the Scottish music industry will congregate while a panel of judges decide the winner of the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY). Kevin Williamson, one of last year’s judging panel, gives his thoughts on this year’s award.

Here’s an unpopular opinion, or at least one rarely expressed: Going clubbing is just as valid a cultural activity as seeing a ‘real’ band with ‘real’ instruments, or going to see a play or a devised performance. Clubbing is culture. Like opera is culture. And drugs are a part of that culture.

It’s a gig. It’s an album launch. It’s a collection of poetry. It’s a party.A sublime spoken word session by Hollie McNish focusing on talking about sex with her granny and Flo Rida’s Whistle video – led the way on an astonishing evening in Tollcross at #UntitledOne which combined awesome-weird Polish animation, top top music and the launch of a cranking poetry collection boasting some of the most exciting voices who have all shared the Neu! Reekie! bill since its inception in 2011.

Cultural renewal is a process of uncovering our own mislaid and neglected history. Here’s a forgotten near-history of ideas.Scottish physicist CTR Wilson’s invention of the Cloud Chamber led to the production of photographic plates that made visible for the first time the tracks of individual subatomic particles. Of major scientific significance, these images from 1911 and 1912 are also very beautiful, and furthermore reflect Wilson’s skill as a photographer.

THE Arches has always offered a valuable place for artists to have the chance to fail. Now, the artists must see to it that The Arches does not.

When you think of The Arches, you might think of people out on late nights, of dancing, and queuing on Monday afternoon to get your jacket back after losing your ticket, wallet and perhaps also your dignity there on the weekend. It is also a cauldron for the most gloriously diverse group of artists that Glasgow has to offer.

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